Re; "Of the forty-six movies that comprise the three great Asian detective series (Charlie Chan, Mr. Moto & Mr. Wong), this is the only film in which the lead role is actually played by an Asian actor, Chinese-American Keye Luke."

The fly in your soup is that Warner Oland, considered by not a few film critics as the best Charlie Chan of the series, was part East Asian on his mother's side. Oland's mother was in fact Russo-Mongolian; his father was Swedish. Thus, whereas Keye Luke was Cantonese, born in Guangzhou, China and raised in Seattle, Oland was one-fourth Mongolian and born in Sweden. For a primer on Warner Oland:

1) Born Johan Verner Öhlund in Sweden of a Russo-Mongolian mother and Swedish father;

2) Spoke fluent Swedish and English; translated plays of August Strindberg;

3) Emigrated to Boston at 13 years of age; attended Boston schools;

4) After stint on Broadway, he debuted in silent films in 1912; acted alongside Al Jolson in "The Jazz Singer," one of earliest "talkies";

5) Played an Oriental character in a 1919 silent film leading in 1929 to starring role as Dr. Fu Manchu in four talking features;

6) Complemented the acting of Marlene Dietrich and Anna May Wong as the mysterious Henry Chang in Sternberg's tour de force "Shanghai Express" (1931);

7) Starred in 16 Charlie Chan films during Depression years 1931-1937. Earned $40,000 per film (2010: $600,000). Universal popularity of his films amongst non-Asian and Asian audiences led to enormous financial success of "Charlie Chan" films which staved off bankruptcy for Fox Films (merged with 20th Century Films [1935]);

8) A world traveler and collector of objet d'art. When traveling in China, Oland was feted with honors and accepted as Chinese; studied Chinese language;

9) Owned large ranch and orchards, facing the sea, in Carpenteria Valley near Santa Barbara;

10 Alcoholism and chain smoking likely shortened his life; Warner Oland died at age 58 in 1937.

Of the forty-six movies that comprise the three great Asian detective series (Charlie Chan, Mr. Moto & Mr. Wong), this is the only film in which the lead role is actually played by an Asian actor, Chinese-American Keye Luke. It's also unusual in that the other Chinese characters are all played by Chinese actors (some of them amateurs). The mystery opens with a setup that includes footage of Roy Chapman Andrews' 1923 Mongolian expedition. Then it becomes a typical, fast-moving Monogram programmer with knives thrown in the dark, and even a car chase. Keye Luke is fine, but his love interest, Lotus Long, could have used one more acting lesson. (She does better in other Wong and Moto films.) Grant Withers again appears as the ornery police detective. Production values are adequate. Last and not the best of the "Mr. Wong" series, nevertheless it's engaging and more than entertaining enough to rate three stars. CAST NOTE: The minor role of Keye Luke's cook is played by one of my favorite character actors, Lee Tung Foo. He appeared in more than 60 productions (not including TV) and had important roles in films like "Across the Pacific" and "Mission to Moscow."

I started watching it with a rather ho-hum attitude, thinking that I could abandon it if I got bored. But to my pleasure, it turned out to be a very good movie. First rate in the mystery genre with a touch of comedy without being ridiculous. If I find other Keye Luke movies, I'll be watching them.

Complete and Uncut! This moving begins with early film footage from Mongola that is fascinating and is the whole reason I love this movie. Other versions on this website have censored and cut out some of this historical Mongolian film footage, editing out what might not be politically correct today. It is real and interesting. Why rewrite history about a culture that was exotic and mysterious to Americans in 1940? Even the change in our sensibilities is historic and interesting. It's the best part of this movie and simply should not to be missed. The complete sequence of the Mongolian film footage can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zhOwgPPcsI

It was enjoyable. Another detective Wong Movie.